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>> Thursday, October 29, 2015

Overall comment: Very fresh & delicious crabs + smooth fried porridge (yes, if you haven't tried such a thing, you can try it here!). I think all their dishes have 'wok hei' & tastes delicious. Best part, it's pork-free & you actually see people from all races & backgrounds coming over to enjoy a meal together! I love such sight of multi-racial communities coming together for good food :)Halal: Pork-free

This is my 1st ever invited review in Kuantan *jumps with joy* Fingers crossed, more to come! I've to thank Joeslin from Leong's Kitchenette in USJ 21 for arranging these review sessions for me (yes, it's a plural!). This restaurant is owned & managed by her dad, who passed down some of his recipes & skills to Joeslin & her husband. If you enjoyed your meals at Leong's Kitchenette, make sure you pop-by their sifu's (master's) restaurant when you visit Kuantan!

Why Duku Langsat, you may wonder. I asked the same question to Mr Choong Siew Wai, the owner & head chef of this humble restaurant that's been in business for 11 years & counting & his answer really tickled me, "Duku Langsat nice ma...easy to say, easy to remember...not specific to any race...this is an 'international' seafood restaurant that welcomes people from all races!" Thumbs up, chef! Full on to cater to all races! Me likey!

Oh, the craziest part about this restaurant is that they're opened for business from 5pm - 5am the next morning!! They cater a lot to nearby pub goers & late nighters... *say whattttt....*

Spacious restaurant that could cater to large groups

Anyway, let me introduce you to some of their well-known dishes:

Mackerel Fried Porridge (RM15.00/RM28.00/RM40.00/RM50.00/RM60.00)

Joeslin insisted that her dad's original 'bubur goreng ikan tenggiri' is more delicious compared to hers, but I think she has mastered the family's recipe well! This porridge has the sweetness from the fish & is generously loaded with pieces of deboned mackerel. It's very homey, fragrant & smooth. If you want something simple for dinner or even a super early breakfast, go for their fried porridge. They have more than 10 other flavours as well if you're not a fan of fried fish!

Spicy Milk Mud Crabs (market price)

Firstly, the crabs were really fresh, meaty & the flesh is 'springy'/firm! Secondly the gravy is not creamy & cloying, but aromatic with the curry leaves & spices. Thirdly, the mini mantao buns do the magic in cleaning up the entire claypot (and the soup bowl of extra gravy as well)! I don't need to elaborate further, do I?

AP's mum was SUPERBLY happy as she loves crabs & said "It feels like today is my birthday! Oh...my birthday is next month as well! *hint hint*"

* taken with phone camera :( *

Sweet, Sour, Spicy Mud Crabs (market price)

This was a tad too sweet for my liking. I prefer it to be slightly more sourish, but it's tasty nevertheless :) AP's dad said it could do with even more garlic! Hahahaha...oh my my...

Large claws...yums...

Oh so yummy...I would want to try their steamed & salt-baked crabs next!

Spicy Milk Squid (RM20.00/serving)

AP & I had this on our 1st review (I attended the 2nd review the following day with his parents only) & we loved it to the max. The squid is actually batter-coated & deep-fried 'til golden brown before getting stir-fried with the spicy milk gravy. It's alike the crabs above, which we had at the 2nd review, but just with squid. The portion was generous & the pieces of squid weren't over-cooked: soft yet still chewy & perfectly coated with gravy on each piece.

This small portion is actually enough for 3-4 persons if you order other dishes as well

Deep-Fried Fish Thai-Style (market price)

One of the best Thai-style deep-fried fish that we've ever had at any restaurants...it's unlike the usual Thai-style that's just sweet & spicy. This one is aromatic as well! The fish is absolutely crispy & can be eaten on its own without the need of rice. Thumbs up! AP's parents & I finished up the whole fish without hesitation, even the head + fins + bones!

Thousand Island Chicken (RM10.00/small serving)

AP & I didn't order this but Mr Choong served it to us as part of the review. I have to say that it's lip-smacking! Sweetish, creamy, savory & the chicken pieces were well-marinated & even the breast meat was moist! Loved the touch of the red onions although I'm not a fan of onions. It gave this simple dish a different touch that's very pleasing.

Fried Sambal Petai Rice (RM9.00/serving)

Oh, I haven't had petai fried rice for a really long time & when I saw it on the menu, I had to order it. AP & I enjoyed this tremendously, not just because there was generous serving of fresh petai, but the anchovies/ikan bilis were CRISPY! The sambal wasn't too spicy, but has enough heat to give the fried rice some "kick"/"umph" :D

Deep-Fried Kailan (RM8.00/small serving)

Unlike the usual deep-fried kailan that you find at certain restaurants that serve this dish, Duku Langsat's version has added crispy ikan bilis & I think it has crispy baby shrimps as well! It has a sweetish & savory crunch & crisp that makes this dish go extremely well with the porridge & even plain rice...haha. I won't see this as a vegetable dish as it tastes more like a 'snack'! Oh, it's not dripping in oil too...noms.

Stir-Fried Kailan (RM8.00/small serving)

We had the deep-fried version on day 1 & we had this with the crabs & fish on day 2. This stir-fried kailan is nothing to shout about nor anything to complain. It's not over-cooked, it's fresh & it's well seasoned, & that's all that matters to me.

Surprised that I'm so excited with this restaurant in Kuantan? You have to try it for yourself if you haven't. For starters, go for the crabs/seafood/deep-fried fish...no regrets!

I think each of my re-visit to Pretz n' Beanz comes with 'new discoveries'. Since my last visit earlier this year with AP (I rarely go to Mutiara Damansara area these days cos of the traffic congestion), Pretz n' Beanz' has revamped their menu to feature some new dishes as well as keeping their best sellers/all-time-favorites.

You can read more about Pretz n' Beanz in my previous blog post here :)

Pretz n' Beanz, IPC branch

As the month of October is dedicated to breast cancer awareness, Pretz n' Beanz will be serving their special pink strawberry-vanilla drink & the rainbow sprinkles with pink glaze pretzel as their way of showing support for courageous breast cancer survivors across the globe.

For this particular review session, we were introduced to some of the latest editions to their menu as well as to enjoy their best sellers once again.

New: BBQ Chicken Pretzel Pizza (RM15.80/7", RM22.15/10")

If you're familiar with Pretz n' Beanz, their pretzel pizza wouldn't be foreign to you. One of their most recent additions is the BBQ chicken pretzel pizza. It's slightly too sweet for my liking & lacks the smokey flavor, but those who fancy something different would enjoy this flavor of their pretzel pizza.

My 1st time tasting baked eggs was in April this year in Sydney, Australia. Pretz n' Beanz version is slightly different as the one I had in Sydney was served piping hot on a hot plate, while this version is served in a pyrex dish (cools off a little too fast). Flavor-wise, it's actually quite rich & creamy as this flavor is alike a creamy-mushroom version of baked eggs. Mushroom-lovers will love this flavor as every spoonful comes with generous serving of mushrooms!

Each set comes with 2 soft & chewy pretzels, a side of sour cream & fresh carrots + celery sticks. Somehow I can't connect the pretzels with this version of the baked eggs as it gets slightly cloying if 1 person finishes both pretzels since this flavor of baked eggs is creamy. If the baked eggs are more tomato-based, I think it'll be more appetizing & appealing (that's just my personal preference).

Slightly under-cooked baked eggs...haha...

New: Cheesy Mushroom Chicken Baked Rice (RM16.20/serving)

Not every cafe offers cheesy baked rice. My only recollection of cheesy baked rice is at Kim Gary (probably serving Hong Kong version of cheesy baked rice?). This version at Pretz n' Beanz were flavorful, has Italian herbs & a slightly more western touch. It's slightly dry though, so the rice + cheese feels a little more jaw-exercise.

New: Pretz n' Stew - Green Curry Chicken (RM17.90/serving)

Flavorful green curry, which probably was the best dip-dish with pretzel compared to the baked eggs. I felt the curry's consistency could be slightly thicker, but my friend said it's good enough for her. Personal preference again :P

New: Volcano Burger

This wasn't in their menu yet, but will be featured soon. The multi-grain buns is dug up & filled with a creamy chicken 'stew', topped with some fresh salsa-like salad to give the 'burger' a fresh twist. Quite a refreshing option if you're not into rice/noodles & don't mind buns but would prefer a less oily burger - this is for you!

Other new items on their menu

And how about some of their best-sellers/all-time-favorites now? :D

Aglio Olio Salmon (RM26.40/serving)

I would say that their pastas have been consistently simple & refreshing. If you're into strong flavors, this may not be for you, but if you fancy something light, I think you'll enjoy this dish.

Hawaiian Chicken Pretzel Pizza (RM15.80/7", RM22.15/10")

This is certainly most diners' favorite - a simple, classic pizza flavor that brings out the sweetness of pineapples & the tangy taste of tomato puree. Yums.

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel (RM6.25/piece)

If you love cinnamon & pretzel, you'll love this. The texture here at Pretz n' Beanz is different from Auntie Anne's pretzels. Taste for yourself & see which you personally prefer ;)

Volcano Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream (RM13.65/serving)

This is an all-time favorite for chocolate lovers. I must say that it's one of the best that I've tasted!

Hungry now? Haha. They serve breakfast as well in both their Solaris Mont Kiara & IPC branches! :P

>> Tuesday, October 6, 2015

* this is not an invited review

It's always fun to try something new around our office area as food options aren't aplenty. As I was driving to office today, I noticed a banner hanging on the MRT tracks for the grand opening of a new cafe nearby & yesterday was their opening day! I told myself I had to try it somehow since it's their 2nd day & they're having a promotion.

Aroma Cafe by Eden is located at the PAUM Clubhouse (Persatuan Alumni University Malaya) - the alumni society of UM students. It's a "new" place to me since I've never been here, so the adventurous side of me got excited.

The cafe has 2 major areas, which is actually spacious & looks good for events :P As it's their 2nd day of business today, the cafe still looks new & clean.

They have quite an extensive menu for breakfast, lunch & dinner, with various promotions lined up for each month! *yay* For the month of October, customers get 50% off for their recommended dishes! I see it as a good promo to try out their recommended dishes available at the cafe :P

Each week of the month, they will feature a set lunch, ranging from RM10.50++ - RM12.00++. Each set comes with a glass of ice lemon tea + a dessert/slice of cake of the day. Not too bad for that price considering most cafes charge that price or more, especially around Bangsar/Damansara Heights area.

We were also fortunate to be their first 100 customers for today, so we got to participate in a special draw :D *double yay*

Carrot Juice (RM7.00/glass)

I ordered their set lunch of the week as my 1st try in the cafe. To me, if they can't even serve a good set lunch, then I will doubt their ala carte menu even more. I know that most of the time, set lunches may not taste as good as the ala carte as it's prepared in batches, but if they can do this well, their ala carte dishes should be equally good, if not better, isn't it?

The ayam masak merah was tasty & I enjoyed the dhal as well. I just found it a little too heavy on the star anise & jintan putih since the rice & dhal had similar spices. It was a satisfying dish that filled my stomach for lunch as the portion was decent for the price paid.

You have the meat, veggies & rice all in one set

Dessert: Cream & Banana Cake

I personally didn't enjoy this cake very much. The cake didn't taste & feel very fresh somehow, but I guess I don't have much of a choice since it came with the set lunch.

Penang Char Kuey Teow (RM10.00/serving)

The 1st thing we noticed was the portion - it was small for RM10! It felt like the usual coffeeshop size, which is half the price. Thankfully there's the 50% discount this month, so it didn't feel too bad to order this dish. Taste-wise, it's actually quite fragrant & tasty. We found it a little too wet as we prefer the dry version. Go for the more traditional Malay rice dishes if you don't mind those. I personally feel that this cafe would fare better in that range of dishes than the typical Chinese dishes.

For the special draw, we managed to fish out a RM50 gift voucher! *yay*

We'll be back to try their other items!

Update 7th Oct: There are few let-downs today when we revisited the cafe:
1. Service was terribly slow although we were the only few tables earlier. Diners that came after us received their food earlier than us & we had to ask several times for our order before we finally receive it.
2. The waiter & waitresses certainly require better training. They kept coming to our table wanting to clear the plates when clearly we have not finished our meal. I think they're just too free (they could have checked on our orders more efficiently!)
3. The information provided on the brochures & buntings weren't 100% accurate. We had the impression that the 50% discount was applicable all though the month of October, but it was only for the one day (all ala carte items) & subsequently, only for their recommended dishes. The waiters weren't aware/trained properly of the promotion & could not provide proper guidance & explanation to us. We had to speak to one of the managers/senior staff to seek clarifications.
4. Staff kept coming to our table with glasses of ice lemon tea, not once but at least twice, when we did not order any. They're either blur, ignorant or aren't attentive enough.
5. There were staff coming to us 'whispering' their questions & wanting to clear our table or ask if our orders have arrived (when it hasn't...and can't they speak clearly instead of mumbling?) & staff who came to us asking if we have filled up the survey form when we haven't even received our food. My friend was quite crossed & told her off to check on our order first before asking us to fill up the survey...hahaha...

Disclaimer: Reviews written are based solely on my personal opinion. I am not affiliated with any companies/restaurants and will not be responsible for any disappointments that occur. No part of this site or any of the content contained herein may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior permission from the publisher.